Hi All, My first thought when looking at this lute was it sure looked like my Paki lute. This based on the apparent raw pine soundboard not quite quartersawn (or "quartersawn" from young trees), and its grain orientation-- not quite parallel with the long axis of the lute. Although it wouldn't be conclusive, the materials in the back appear the same. Finally, the pattern of the peg ends is the same. The real major difference is the pattern of the rose-- something fairly easy to change where the price of hand work is really low. I also looked at the harps he has for sale. There is a small 'world music' instrument store not for from where I live. They have a collection of similarly made and decorated harps. They are from Pakistan. Sooo... I took the bull by the horns and sent an email to the guy who runs the shop in Germany offering the lute, etc. His answer to my question about the origin of the lute: "These lutes are made by musical instrument makers in Asia, especially for me..." He didn't get more specific. I think he's pretty proud of his stuff because his prices are way high, even if one considers the dollar and euro at one to one. There are a couple music stores in Florida selling a similar inventory-- Paki lutes, harps, bagpipes, practice chanters etc. They advertise essentially the same lute on US eBay frequently for prices in the three to four hundred dollar range. My two cents worth. Best, Steve
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